Several
years of work on international relations is paying off for The University
of North Carolina at Pembroke.

UNCP has joined a coalition of five U.S.
and 32 Chinese universities to offer a joint-degree program for Chinese
students. The coalition
is led by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities
(AASCU) and
the Chinese Center for International Exchanges (CEAIE).

The University
may enroll 20-30 Chinese students, who would spend their first year
at a Chinese university, the next two at UNCP and return
to China for their final year. The students would receive Bachelor
of Science degrees
and most would major in business.

UNCP, the University of Northern Arizona
and George Mason University joined forces with existing partners, Troy
State University and Ball
State University. For UNCP, the program was two years in the making,
said Dr. Alex
Chen, associate vice chancellor for International Programs.

“It started with a visit, led by Dr. Roger Brown (Provost and Vice
Chancellor for Academic Affairs) to China three years ago,” Dr. Chen
said. “Last
year we wrote a proposal to the AASCU, and because we developed several
strong model programs, we were invited to join the project.”

With help
from UNCP’s Chinese friends, the University was accepted
to the consortium and the wheels were set in motion.

A large delegation
- consisting of university presidents and top administrators from
32 Chinese universities coordinated by the Chinese Center for International
Exchanges - will be on campus February 24-25.

The delegation will tour the University
and meet with representatives from several UNCP offices, including
Admissions, Registrar, Student Affairs and
the School of Business. They will also sign formal agreements with
UNCP Chancellor Allen C. Meadors.

“We are going into this very carefully,” Dr. Chen said. “But
this holds the potential to be very big.”

UNCP has more than 50 international
students currently, so this program would be make a significant impact on
campus.

The first UNCP graduates from the Chinese University of Mining
and Technology received diplomas in December 2004. They graduated from
UNCP’s
Master of Public Administration (MPA) program.

Three additional agreements
with Harbin Normal University were signed in May 2004 to offer the
MPA program, a Master of Arts in English education
and a
Bachelor of Arts in English education. These agreements are expected to
bring 1-15 students to UNCP in the fall semester 2005.

“Harbin is our sister university in China,” Dr. Chen said. “The
English education program will bring students here for two of their four
years.”

The Office for International Programs may be contacted at 910.522.4095 or
alex.chen@uncp.edu.